Franz Eisenach

Franz Eisenach
Born	11 August 1918 Reetz, Province of Brandenburg
Died	21 August 1998 (aged 80) Ottobrunn near Munich
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe  German Air Force
Years of service	1937–45, 1956–74
Rank	Major (Wehrmacht) Oberstleutnant (Bundeswehr)
Unit	ZG 76, JG 1, JG 5, JG 54
Commands held	3./JG 54
Battles/wars	World War II Eastern Front North African Campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Franz Eisenach (11 August 1918 – 21 August 1998) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Eisenach was credited with 129 aerial victories—that is, 129 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in 319 combat missions.^[1]

Career

Eisenach entered the Luftwaffe in 1937 and became an officer cadet in 1937. By 1939 he attained the rank of Leutnant. From 1940 Eisenach flew with various Groups, until joining 9./Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54) on the Eastern Front in October 1942. He became Staffelkapitän (Squadron Leader) of 3./JG 54 with prominent success, but was badly wounded in December 1943. On 1 May 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann. In June 1944, he was serving with I./JG 54, based in Courland on the Eastern Front, he became Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54 but in September 1944 he was wounded again, this time after an encounter with a bomber. Awarded the Knights Cross, he returned to combat until the war's end. His final tally was 129 victories claimed in 317 combat missions.

On 8 November, during his 21st combat mission, Eisenach claimed his first victory by shooting down a P-40 fighter on the Eastern Front. On 8 July, he shot down a Russian A-20 Boston twin-engine bomber, achieving his 21st victory but in a subsequent dogfight his aircraft was damaged necessitating an emergency landing. He required immediate hospitalisation. Eisenach claimed his 100th victory on 14 September 1944 by shooting down an IL-2 Sturmovik. That day he shot down 9 planes, include 5 Il-2 and 4 Pe-2. He was the 90th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.^[2] His last victory was on 19 March over a Pe-2, reaching 129 victories. He also claimed 25 unconfirmed victories.

After the war he was confined as a British POW. Major Franz Eisenach re-joined the military service of the Bundeswehr in 1956. He left the service in 1974 with the rank of Oberstleutnant.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (31 August 1943)^[3]
• German Cross in Gold on 16 January 1944 as Oberleutnant in the I./JG 54^[4]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1944 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 3./JG 54^{[5][Note 1]}

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as pilot in the II./JG 54.^[6]

References

Citations

1. Spick 1996, p. 230.
2. Obermaier 1989, p. 243.
3. Obermaier 1989, p. 107.
4. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 101.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 171.
6. Scherzer 2007, p. 292.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.